Trolley-ear.



W. A. RICE.

TROLLEY EAR.

. APPL ICA HON HLED OCT. 7, 194\ 1 1514 79. Patented May 23,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

W. A. RICE.

TROLLEY EAR.

APPLICATION HLED OCT. T, 1914. 1 1,5. Patent-ed May 23, 1916.

2 SHEETS-$HEET 2- naw/14 0's WILLIAM A. RICE, 0F HUNTSVILLE, MISSOURI.

TROLLEY-EAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 23, 1916.

Application filed October 7, 1914. Serial No. 865,565.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, lVlLLIAM A. Bron, a citizen of the United States, residing at Huntsville, in the county of Randolph and State of Missouri, have invented new and useful Improvements in Trolley-Ears, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in means for connecting hangers, switches,

etc, to trolley wires of electric cars and to other analogous uses.

The device is primarily intended for holding trolley wires in underground railways and the main object of the invention is to construct a trolley wire ear which will effectively support the wire to prevent the same from becoming loose by material or articles falling against or contacting with the wire, the improvement embodying means whereby the wire may be easily and quickly disconnected from the ear when desired.

In carrying out my invention it is my purpose to construct a trolley wire support or car which shall include a head having a socket to receive a pair of lugs, each of which is arranged upon a suitable jaw, the said jaws carrying clamps which receive and support the wire, and a suitable key being employed for securing both of the lugs in a suitable pocket provided upon the head.

With the above and other objects in view, the improvement resides in the construction, combination and ar'angement of parts set forth in the following specification and falling within the scope of the appendedclaim.

Tn the d "awings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of my device showing the same supporting a trolley wire, Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view approximately on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 2, Fig.

4: is a horizontal sectional view on the line 44 of Fig. 2, Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the head looking toward the bottom thereof, Fig. 6 is a similar view of one of the jaws detached, Fig. 7 is a similar view of the clamp, and Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view of the split key.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the numeral 1 designates a trolley wire, and 2 an ear constructed in accordance with the present invention and which supports the wire. The ear 2 includes what I term a head 3, the same comprising preferably a stationary rectangular member formed of a block of iron or the like and has, what may be termed, its upper face centrally provided with a threaded Socket 4 to receive the threaded end of an insulator pin. The opposite end of the head 8 is provided with a substantially rectangular opening 5 which may communicate with the opening 1, and the opposite or transverse. walls provided by the socket 5 are formed each with an alining opening 6.

The numerals 7 designate two similarly constructed members forming the sides or the jaw members for the ear. Each of these members includes a lug 8 which is centrally formed with a longitudinally extending member or jaw 9, the inner face of each of the lugs preferably projecting a slight but suitable distance over the inner faces of the longitudinally extending jaw members 9. The lug members 8, when the jaw members are assembled, are adapted to be snugly received within the socket 5 of the head 3, and the adjacent or meeting faces of said lugs are provided with alining grooves 10 which register with the openings 6. One of the openings 6 may be of a greater circumference than the second opening, and the grooves 10 at one of the ends of each of the lug members is preferably of a greater depth than is the said groove at the opposite end of the lug, so that a split wedge key 11 when inserted through the registering openings 6 and the grooves 10 will tightly engage with the walls provided by the open ings and grooves to force the outer sides of the lugs in to tight engagement with the walls of the socket against which they are arranged, and the reduced end of the split key 11 is spread in opposite directions over one of the faces of the head 3 to retain the jaws securely upon the head.

The numeral 12 designates the wire engaging spring clamp preferably constructed of copper. The clamp 12 comprises a lower or outer rounded portion 18 within which the wire 1 is received, and oppositely extending parallel side members 1%14. The members 14 are adapted to be engaged by the inner faces of the jaw members 9, the upper edgesof the said sides 14- contacting with the shoulders 15 provided between the lugs 8 and the jaws 9, while transverse members, preferably in the nature of rivets pass through suitable openings in the sides 14: and the jaws 9 for securing the clamp upon the jaws.

description, taken in' connection with the drawings, it will be noted that I have provided a simple, strong but efiective ear for supporting a trolley Wire, one wherein the jaw and clamp may be removed from the head by the simple withdrawal of the wedge key 11, and also whereby the wire may be readilyjsecured or removed from the clamp as "desired, and it is thought thatthe advantages of the structure will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art to which such invention appertains without further detailed description. V W

Having thus described the invention,

whatiI'claim is: e V In a trolley wire support, a head having each other in engagement with the opposite walls of the socket and to retain said lugs in said socket, and a spring wire clamp formed from a single strip which is centrally rounded to receive a wire and having parallel contacting ends which are inserted between the members of the clamp and secured thereto,

In testimony whereof I affix my signature 1n presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM A. RICE.

Witnesses:

G110. L. MCCORMAO, P. F Rnssn.

Copies-M11118 patent may be obtained for ,flve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, .7 j Washington, 10.0. 

